


playing god

by ncds



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Black Family (Harry Potter), Don't Examine This Too Closely, Genderswap, Multi, i dont know how to tag sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-02-18 05:03:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13092972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncds/pseuds/ncds
Summary: short little 'what if?' fics about ways people could have come together :)





	1. table of contents

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [write love on my skin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1835587) by [amusewithaview](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amusewithaview/pseuds/amusewithaview). 



> so i read amusewithaview's 'Nothing but love in view' and got really inspired (GO READ IT)  
> these are just little ideas that come to me, theyre quite short and the chances of me ever picking them up again are very low.  
> also im really bad at updating/ being consistent in writing and posting so sorry about that in advance.  
> warning: not all of these will be soulmate au js  
> \+ first chapter will be an index/table of content (that i will try to keep up to date) with the pairing & AU if i can put it in to words

_**this will be updated with each chapter added** _

2\. CREATION OF THE WEST - Ginny/Regulus (no magic AU)

3\. DELICIOUS BRIDGES - Lily Evans/Kingsley Shacklebolt (fantasy AU)

4\. THE FLOWERS OF THE PLANET - Fem Harry/ Viktor (historical AU, royalty AU)

 


	2. CREATION OF THE WEST

_Mum,_  she wrote,  _I've finally found a place to live! Permanently, that is. I spotted an ad online... like in the newspaper. Don't worry, I've checked it out and there doesn't seem to be any sketchy characters living there. It's in a normal neighbourhood. The guy who lives there was at school, but he had a friend show me around, which was nice of him._

_I really like the apartment, Mum. I'll have my own bedroom with an en suite, which is more than I could have hoped for, honestly. They told me I'd have two shelves in the fridge and two cupboards to use for my stuff. The flat's on the 20th floor, too, and I've a wonderful view of the city from my window. I'll be moving in next week, when my lease for this place ends._

_Anyways, just thought I'd keep you updated on the goings-on over on this side of the pond! Luna and I are meeting for coffee later, but I've no plans otherwise.See you soon!_

_Love_ ,

_Ginny_.

Ginny sent the e-mail and shut her laptop with a sigh, dragging her hand down her face. Hopefully, Mum wouldn't catch that she avoided saying how much rent was at the new apartment. The number wasn't crazy, but the figures were certainly higher than was she was now paying.

 Ginny checked her wristwatch.  _12:09_. She best get going. Ginny ambled back to her wardrobe, pulling out loose trousers and a nice top, perfect for the weather. After much deliberation she put on a light jacket. _Better safe than sorry_. Ginny picked up her bag, making sure her keys, wallet and phone were inside, then slipped on the sandals she left by the door.

 She and Luna had agreed to meet at a cafe not too far from where Ginny lived. She took twenty minutes walking to get there and straight away saw Luna sitting at a table, reading a book in the sunshine.

 As she was going over to the traffic lights, someone shouted " _Look out!_  "and not two seconds later did a large dog run in to the backs of her legs, knocking her over. The dog continued running, weaving in between the people on the path. Ginny thought,  _of course I'd be the only one to fall_. As she got up, a young man ran past her, saying " _Sorry, lady_ " as he went.

 Ginny scowled, brushing down her trousers. Another set of fast-paced footsteps came from behind her.

"Hey," said a male voice. Ginny turned around, eyebrows raised. The man standing in front of her was tall and lean. His inky hair hung loose and curled around his ears. Ginny noted he wore a CU t-shirt and had a shadow on his jaw and bags under his eyes. A student then? The man grinned at her awkwardly.

"Sorry about that," he continued. His British accent surprised Ginny. "That was my brother's dog, couldn't wait to get to the park to release his pent-up energy."

Ginny arched a brow. "Yes, I caught that. Are you sure it's a dog and not a wolf?" He grinned at her.

"Yeah, Pad's a big one," he said fondly.

"Pad?" wondered Ginny.

"Padfoot," he supplied. "Bit unusual, but my brother and his mates are fucking geniuses, so I wouldn't expect anything normal."

Ginny released a surprised laugh. Her phone chimed, revealing an amusing text from Luna:  _here I am, sitting all alone on the other side of the street, observing you get hounded by two different kind of dogs..._

"I'd better get going," said Ginny. "I've a coffee date across the road that I cannot miss."

The man grinned at her. "Adios!" Ginny watched him jog away after his brother who had long disappeared in to the park.

She and Luna shared a good laugh about it over their drinks. By the next day Ginny had virtually forgotten about the incident altogether.

 

* * *

 

It was moving day. Michael, one of Ginny's exes with whom she stayed on good terms, offered to help her move. There were things she would leave behind (the furniture that came with the place) and some things she would bring (everything else). It took three trips to bring everything, with the doorman kindly allowing her to leave everything in the lobby when she continued back for more.

Ginny, Luna and Michael lugged all the boxes into the lift and to her new flat a few at a time. Ginny dismantled her bed frame the day before, spending the night on the mattress. However, her dresser and wardrobe couldn't be dismantled, so they shoved one in to the boot of Michael's car. The other was secured onto the roof. Ginny had spent the whole drive worrying it would fall off the car.

Luna worked ahead with bringing the boxes inside, so she met Ginny's new roommate before Ginny did. Luna met them down in the lobby with a funny, knowing expression on her face. Ginny ignored it. Luna had a strange look on her 99% of the time, anyhow.

When Ginny stepped out of the lift, she saw the flat's door wide open. Luna explained that she left it open for them.

Ginny stepped into her new home. It was bright and spacious and modern. She was already in love, and this was only the living room.

Luna and Michael filed in behind her, going over to the stools that were at the island that separated the living room and the kitchen.

Ginny set the box she carried down at her feet and went over to the wall-sized window.

_Wonderful_.

"Oh," said a voice, new yet familiar. Ginny turned around, and her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. Stood before her was the young man she'd chatted with after his brother's dog knocked her over the week before.

"You must be Ginny," he smirked. He held out a hand. Ginny shook it firmly.

"And you're Regulus, then," she replied. The newly declared Regulus gave a slight mock bow. Today he wore a UR t-shirt, grey cotton shorts and with a red bandana holding his hair out of his face.

"That's me," he confirmed. " _Who'd a thunk_?"

They all laughed lightly.

Regulus clapped his hands together. "Now," he started, looking between Ginny, Luna and Michael. "I've an unopened bottle of wine in the cooler, bought especially for this."

Michael thanked him and politely refused. "I'm driving," he explained, which incidentally turned into him pointing out that he actually needed to leave.

"Michael's got a study date," teased Luna. Michael groaned.

"It's not a date!" he insisted.

 This conversation, old to Ginny as Luna had spent the better part of the day baiting Michael, grinned nonetheless. 

Since Michael was giving Luna a lift home, they both said their goodbyes and left. Ginny thanked them and made a mental note to get them a small thank-you present each.

Ginny turned to Regulus, her eyebrow arching and the corner of her mouth curling simultaneously.

"So," she spoke. "You said something about wine?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so like this one has potential to be continued but idk if i ever will


	3. DELICIOUS BRIDGES

Lily Evans had a secret that no one could ever find out. Well, okay, no one other than the people she'd already told. And her family because obviously.

It was really quite obvious, if one looked properly and, of course, knew what they were looking for. Lily had the colouring and personality. Well, not quite the personality. Her blood, obviously far too diluted to allow such a thing, as her temperament matched her fiery red locks.

You see, Lily was a tree nymph. She was originally linked to the copper beech tree her parents kept in the garden, but since attending Hogwarts, she'd had to replaced her beloved birch with a nice, tall Sitka spruce tree. It lived near Hagrid's hut, just a few yards into the mouth of the forest. Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster, kindly enough put a few protective spells on it for her.

Lily's little secret didn't stop her from living like any other witch her age. She did her studies, went to watch the Quidditch matches and dated boys. Some things had priority over others (studies over Quidditch, Quidditch over boys).

Lily even received her own fair share of unwanted attention, from bullies to boys (again).

The bullies included, but not limited to, Snape and his Death Eater cronies. Lily had plenty of not-fans from other houses, like that cow Katarina Hill. Hill was a Ravenclaw who in second year decided to see how big of a bitch she could be to Lily.

Now, the undesired attention from boys came largely from one boy in particular (but again it wasn't limited to just him). That boy was James Potter. God was he annoying. Lily never used to know whether or not to take his confessions seriously, but soon realised that it was little more than an ongoing joke to him and his friends.

Whatever.

Potter would sometimes sabotage Lily's dates (he would call them pranks). That didn't stop Lily though. She still salvaged a few uninterrupted dates every month or so.

Which brought her to her most recent undisturbed date: the one she was currently on with a lovely young man named Kingsley Shacklebolt who listened to her, held her hand and played with her hair.

They were walking, fingers interlocked, along the edge of the trees, sharing a silence after a conversation. They were nearing Hagrid's hut when Kingsley, who had done nothing like it before, startled her to the point of speechlessness.

"Will you show me your tree?" he asked gently. As soon as the words left his mouth Lily froze, too stunned to do anything other than gape like a fish.

"My tree?" she choked out.  _How did he know?_ _How did he know?_ _How did he know?  
_ _How did he know?_ _How did he know?_ _How did he know?_ _How did he know?  
_ _How did he know?_ _How did he know?_ _How did he know?_ _How did he know? How—_

"How do you know?" Lily squirmed. There was no point denying his unspoken accusation. Kingsley already realized.

He grinned at her. "I'm not altogether sure, to be honest," admitted Kingsley. "I was just reading about humanoid creatures for DADA, and I came across tree-spirits and nymphs. I thought ' _that reminds me of Lily_ ' and I didn't even acknowledge it, it was so natural." He shrugged. "Then after that, and researching them more thoroughly, I started spotting little things about you that fit like puzzle pieces."

Lily stared at Kingsley, still in shock. "Kings, you never fail to surprise me, but you've outdone yourself this time."

Kingsley laughed and, after a second, Lily joined in.

"So will you?" asked Kingsley. "Will you show me?"

Lily studied him, his face open and sincere and she decided to trust.

Thus Lily brought Kingsley to her Sitka spruce and cackled when  _he_ became the speechless one after seeing her melt into the tree.

And, truly, having one more person in on her secret wasn't so bad. Not when Lily discovered she could pull someone into the tree with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i imagine that Lily and Kingsley break up, or 'conciously uncouple' before he graduates, but remain on good terms & Lily goes on to date James in their 7th year


	4. End of Something - Beginning of Another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we meet Melania Macmillan - a character I feel has a lot of potential and I'd love to write with her more

Melania stared impassively at the young man who sat opposite her. He returned her gaze nervously. An innocent-looking piece of parchment lay on the table between them. It was far from innocent.

That one piece of parchment dictated Melania's future, set in stone now by her parents and the parents of the young man. It could have been worse, she supposed. Her parents were very proud to have secured a marriage contract with such an important family - especially with the  _Heir_  of the family. She had to count her blessings, and that Arcturus Black was to be her husband was one of them. He was rich and well-connected, quite handsome, and would become a very powerful man once took on the Lordship of his family.

It could be worse, she repeated.

She was eighteen now, fresh out of Hogwarts. Her friends had been roped into marriage contracts since they were sixteen, all to men inferior to Arcturus. Melania was the lucky one. 

Arcturus was twenty, two years her senior. She barely remembered him from his school years, with him being a Slytherin and she being a Ravenclaw. She had no idea what he had been up to since graduating, probably attending galas, or travelling, or writing poetry, as young men were wont to do these days. He certainly seemed younger than he looked, if only for the rather spooked look on his face. 

He could be worse.

She straightened up in her seat, having relaxed in it for far too long. He reacted immediately, and fixed his own posture. 

Melania tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, then held out her gloved hand for him. After a beat he took it in his own and pressed his lips to her knuckles. The corners of her mouth quirked up in amusement. What was he so nervous for?

"Do you have a ring for me, Arcturus?" she wondered, suddenly feeling very at-ease. He blinked at her uncomprehendingly then sprung up and fumbled with his robes. She had to concentrate on keeping her face neutral as a she felt delight bubble up inside her. Was he always like this?

"Yes, yes, sorry," he muttered as he made his way to her side of the table. For an alarming moment she thought he would get down on one knee like a Muggle, but to her relief he only pulled out the chair to her left. She twisted around to see him properly.

"For you," he said, and placed a large crystal box on the table. She opened it to reveal a rather lovely ring. It was a silver band with a gorgeous purplish-blue gemstone set in the centre. There were smaller diamonds encircling the larger blue stone and down the sides of the silver band.

"What do you think?" he inquired. It was sweet that he wanted her opinion regardless of how it was more of a pleasantry than a necessity. She would have to wear it whether she liked it or not.

"It is a splendid ring," Melania approved. She flicked her eyes up to his and sent him a coy look. His eyes were wide. She held out her hand to him again. She watched confusion cross his features before he took her hand, and with a baffled expression, pressed his lips to her knuckles.

Melania covered her mouth as she laughed, her enjoyment doubling at the light flush that heated Arcturus' cheeks. He still looked rather bewildered.

"Arcturus, darling, the ring," she trilled, a soft smile on her lips. He startled at the endearment. Well, he better get used to it, Melania rather liked using them. He flushed again.

"Right, of course," he mumbled, more to himself. He cleared his throat. "My apologies, Melania."

She thought she liked the way he said her name. She definitely liked the way his fingers brushed her wrist as he removed her glove, and the delicate way he held her hand as he carefully slid the ring onto her finger.

She examined it carefully on her hand, and decided it looked wonderful on her. Her thin hand and fingers looked more elegant with the sparkling stones on it.

Feeling rather mischievous, she took up Arcturus' hand in both of her own and pressed a long kiss to the back of his hand. Looking up at him through her lashes, she saw the way his Adam's apple moved when he swallowed. She laughed quietly again.

Melania removed her other glove and slipped them, the crystal box, and the marriage contract into her purse. She stood fluidly, smoothing down her dress robes as she went.

"This was a most pleasant meeting, Arcturus," she purred, sending him a cat-like grin. "I do  _so_  look forward to the next one."

She laughed breathily at the dumbstruck look on his face as he tried to keep up with her. It felt nice to know that she was nothing like what he had expected, in the best way. Melania swept out of the room with a dainty wave behind her, grinning again when she heard a chair scraping against hardwood floor from the room she just vacated. 

She most certainly did look forward to her next meeting with the young man. It had gone much better than she could have hoped, brief though it was. Again her thoughts drifted to the husbands and betrothed's of her girlfriends, and felt a sense of relieved satisfaction.

It could have been so much worse.

Melania was the lucky one.

**Author's Note:**

> chapter titles will probably have absolutely nothing to do with the chapter, js


End file.
